Voice of the IRISH SUNDAY Mirror: The right medicine for HSE

Sunday Mirror, Sep 28, 2008

AT last an injection of common sense into the HSE.

Prof Brendan Drumm tackles its problems and looks at cutting unnecessary backroom, admin staff in a brave bid to make savings.

It is long overdue and taking the axe to 1,000 jobs will be a massive saving. In real terms it means a hefty 25 per cent cutback in backroom staff.

However, for there to be a meaningful saving and transformation for the HSE the savings must be ploughed back into frontline services.

Times are tight and the Government needs to make savings across the public sector.

But these savings must not be part of that process.

Mary Harney has had to stand up in Cabinet and fight for the money that will help the heath service. The only way of stopping the recurring nightmare of yet another breast cancer scandal is to stop it happening at source.

It sounds simple, but it's true.

Prof Drumm is on the right track by cutting back on admin and backroom office staff.

But the service needs extra cash - spent wisely, of course, and in the right areas.

Then and only then will the HSE see the real turn-around which is so desperately needed.